Improvement in folding chairs



E. s. PRATT. FOLDING-CHAIRS.

Na. 195,396, Patented Sept.18,1877.

Witnesses: Inventor:

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N-PFIERS. PHOTGWHER WASNINGYON. D C.

PATENT QFFICE.

EDWI-N- s. PRATT, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,396, dated September 18, 1877; application filed August 6, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. PRATT, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on a Folding Chair; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements on folding chairs; and it consists in the peculiar arrangement of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully described, and subsequently pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings heretofore mentioned, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding chair embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, and Fig. 3 a similar view of the chair when folded.

Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.

A are the standards of' my chair. They are secured together, at a suitable distance apart, by the rounds or rods, 0!, connecting their lower extremity, a connecting their upper end, and a. a, respectively, uniting their central portion.

B are the rear legs. They are centrally pivoted to the inner side of the front legs A by the bolts 1), and secured one to the other by the round b near their lower extremity, and the bolt b" passing through the hollow rod 0, interposed between said legs at their upper extremity.

D are the arms, pivoted to the legs B by said bolt b, cylinders 0 being placed between them and the legs, to compensate for the thickness of the standards, and allow the said arms to slide readily on the outside of the same. These arms have curved slots d, of

suitable length, through which is passed a rosette-pin, d, secured to the standards A. The back of the chair consists of a series of slats, E, secured with their ends in mortises in the rounds a." and a, respectively, and the seat is composed of similar slats F, fastened with one end to the hollow round 0, and having their opposite ends secured to atransverse rod, f. This seat rests with its rear end upon the round a, and when occupied presses with that end against the round a.

The chair is folded up for transportation, storage, or other purposes in the following manner, to wit: The legs and standards being pivoted together by the bolts b, when their lower ends are pushed toward each other their upper ends perform a similar movement. This will cause the seat F to move rearward, and, on account of the weight and the curve described by its forward end,around the bolt 12 to slide over the round a downward. At the same time the arms D, turning upon the bolt B", will move upward, the rosette-pins d guiding them in the slots d, so that when the forward end of the slots F reaches the standards A these will press against the round a", and the seat be parallel with the back E, while the legs B and arms D will be nearly flush with the standards, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, in which position the chair occupics the smallest possible space, and is as compact as can be desired for transportation and other purposes.

It will be readily seen that, instead of pivoting the arms to the legs, they may be pivoted to the rosette-pins d. In this case the slot-holes 01, instead of being on the upper end of said arms, should be on the lower end thereof, when in folding the chair these arms will move downward instead of upward, as in the former case.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure to me by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In folding chairs, a seat composed of a series of slats secured together transversely, as described, said seat being pivoted to the chair-frame, and adapted to move rearward and downward over a guide when the chair is folded together, substantially as hereinbefore stated.

2. The combination, with the standards A and legs B, pivoted together by the bolts b, of the bolt b", hollow cylinder 0, slats F, transverse piece f, and the round 00', as specified, for the use and purpose stated.

3. The folding chair hereinbefore described,

consisting, essentially,of the connected standards A, legs B, slotted arms D secured to the legs B by the bolt b", and to the standards A by the rosette-pins d, hollow round 0, with the slats F arranged to rest upon the round a', and the chair-back E, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the use and purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereto set my hand and aifixed my seal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN S. PRATT. [L- 8.]

Attest:

MICHAEL J. STARK, FRANK Hmsoa. 

